I pay a fortune on my hair every 6 weeks! But it is worth it to me-- and so I do it happily because if I had to color my hair at home there would be disastrous results!
How to have lasting hair color:
1. Don't wash your hair so often! At my visit Alisha shared that it had been 5 days since she last washed her hair and admitted that might be pushing it a little (ya think???) Alisha said she's been using a dry shampoo spray to stretch out the time between washings. She recommends washing hair every 3 days. Hmmm...interesting idea...however, I workout 3-4 days a week at the gym and I'm sweaty-gross afterward. I like the idea of using a dry shampoo product to give yourself another day (NOT Alisha's 5 day stretch, LOL!) I'm going to keep on my every other day schedule...but agree less washings would keep my color and my hair from getting dry and unmanageable.
2. Use less product! As a product junkie, this hit home. I use to believe if this good, then more of it would be better! Wrong-o! Too much product is wasteful and can just dry out your hair. Alisha also suggested that by using a QUALITY product you don't need as much and therefore will use LESS product! I'm going to stop over-lathering my hair today!
3. Change how you wash/shampoo your hair. Huh? What do you mean? Well, since you aren't using so much product, concentrate on washing/scrubbing your scalp instead. Your scalp is the source of the oil and dirt--not your hair! Wet your hair WELL...then apply a small amount of product and scrub your scalp.
4. Cool it down. Don't wash and rinse your hair in hot water. Take your hot shower if that's your thing, but when it comes to washing/rinsing your hair have a pitcher of warmish to cool water ready to rinse away the suds. A cool rinse will close the cuticles and give your hair some shine.
5. Waterfalls are for vacations. Don't, don't, don't stand under the shower and let the water run on top of your head!!! Well, as it turns out this is not only drying to your hair and skin--it leaches color from your hair cuticles and FADES YOUR COLOR!
And because I'm extra special with a cherry on top ( I DO always ask about her hubby and golden retriever) Alisha GAVE me a fab product to try. It's a color maintenance product by Tressa called Watercolors shampoo tint. It is a violet wash that you add to your regular shampoo and it helps keep your blonde-blonde. Honestly, it's cool for sure but reminds me of the blue-ing shampoo I used to use on my miniture Schnauzer, Gus years ago, LOL!
Do you have any color saving tips you'd like to share with the gals? If so, ring in and SHARE it!
Love, Leslie
My hairstylist told me to always wear a hat when I am out in the sun. ... Not very much fun but it definitely saves my color.
ReplyDeleteI am a dark haired gal going prematurely gray. I decided to start coloring when I got offered the senior discount for the first time at 38! (grr - I don't otherwise look old). Anyhow, it has been a process long fraught with frustration, because my hair grows very fast, I don't have $120 (for color alone!) to throw at it every month, and I don't want a permanent skunk head. But, home hair coloring wasn't satisfactory either - the color would over-saturate, and my hair would get darker towards the ends. It looked weird. Finally I found a Clairol (hope that's okay to mention a brand) product geared especially for gray hair, and cut my hair a little shorter than before, it looks good enough and I love it!
ReplyDeleteI too color at home....my color costs less than $5 on sale...Revlon Colorsilk and there's no ammonia in it! The trick is to color just the roots when you color repeated times and then just the ends for the short time recommended so your ends don't become too dark. Also, they say using sulfate free shampoo helps the color stay. I only rinse my hair and wash about every 3 days too. I'm glad i don't have to pay big bucks for color. Thanks for the tips.
ReplyDeleteI don't color my hair, but I do have a tip as far as stretching washes goes. I have super-long hair and too-frequent washing dries it out. If you're worried about being sweaty from a work out and wanting to wash your hair, don't use shampoo! Just rinse with water and give your scalp a good scrub with your finger-tips (scalp massage also helps to promote healthy growth!) and you'd be amazed at how much dirt and sweat you can get rid of with just water. I only use shampoo on my hair once a week and no one would ever guess :)
ReplyDeleteCovering it in the sun makes a huge difference too. If you're not a hat person, or want some variety, a scarf can look really nice as well.
Good tip Jenna...sun does fade your hair color, so a hat when outside for extended periods of time is a good idea!
ReplyDeleteJill and Nancy it is good to know some gals are getting good results w/ at home coloring. Good to know to only color the roots to keep the color even. Knowing what products work helps too. Washing less keeps the color on the hair cuticles was a BIG tip for me.
Corey...I'm going to try only using water next time and see if it gets oily sooner since I didn't apply a shampoo. Of course the less often our colored hair is exposed to water--the better! That was a BIG eye opener for me to keep my color lasting. Lucky for you that you don't color your hair :)
Great thing for the eye wear... i feel so uncomfortable with no glasses. And my toddler daughter just broke them yesterday. Can't wait till I get them repaired!
ReplyDeleteI started graying in my early 20's. I'm 53 now and would be about 75% gray if I'd let nature take it's course. Since I work out at the gym a lot, I'm very guilty of the shower rinse thing so I'm going to bring a plastic cup with me next time for rinsing. I have gone to blonde highlighting to try to keep to an every 5-6 week coloring schedule, otherwise I'd have to do every 4 weeks.
ReplyDeleteI use a crayon for the week or so before my next hair appointment, avail at beauty supply stores. I think it's called in-between and I wet it with water to activate. I just do my grays along my face and my part. My grays started coming in in my 20s and I'm pretty white (I think!) now in my 40s. I also went from brunette to blonde as my grays took over my head - the lighter roots are less obvious.
ReplyDeleteI am 70 yrs old and born a natural redhead that turn gray in great places...temples and sideburns. I used salon colorings and home colorings but they all turned my scalp red for several washings. I now have really short hair but unhappy with the mousy brown it has turned with the gray. It is all natural now and I am toying with the idea of coloring again. Anything in the home coloring products that doesnt give you the orange scalp?
ReplyDeleteAs an ashy brunette, I love root touch-up colorants :) I have very short hair and wash it every other day, conditioning well and using the conditioner that comes w/ my haircolor package once a week. Since I also use minoxidil for hair loss (so far, so good...) twice a day, this is enough for me! (It's all working, knock on wood - and I forgot to mention the Latisse - wow!)
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